1. Field of the Invention
The invention is to an article dispenser, such as a candy or gum dispenser, having a transparent dome and rotary internal housing including dispensing apertured parallel relatively rotating disks combined with amusements.
2. Description of Related Art
The prior art provides for dispensing candy and gum and for rotary movements for amusement by using spring loaded reciprocated plungers. As examples:
A. Morin, U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,440, issued Aug. 24, 1993, teaches a toy top having a transparent enclosure that houses balls supported on a stationary apertured base over a rotatable disk having a projection that passes through slots within pockets in the base to propel balls upwardly from the pockets and into the transparent enclosure. The rotation for the disk is provided by a twisted rod and clutch mechanism, a spring loaded plunger reciprocates a twisted rod that passes through a drive friction clutch mechanism that converts linear motion to rotary motion that is used for rotation of the disk.
A. Abe. U.S. Pat. No. 4,618,330, issued Oct. 21, 1986, teaches an amusement device that has a transparent cover with animated and rotating articles put in motion by pushing on a spring loaded plunger that uses gears to convert the reciprocating motion of the plunger into rotary motion.
A. Goldfarb, U.S. Pat. No. 3,077,254, issued Feb. 12, 1963, teaches a toy gum ball dispensing machine that dispenses gum balls from a transparent container by pressing a spring loaded valve with an opening that can pick up a gum ball, that falls through an aperture in the bottom of the container, and transports it to a sloping discharge chute that leads to plural differing value compartments, from where it is transported to a dispensing lip for removal.
Coleman et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,453, issued Jun. 22, 1999, teach a candy or gum dispenser with a spring loaded chute at the base of a container. The spring holds the chute in a closed downward position. To dispense the contents of the container, pressure is applied to the container forcing the chute upwardly into the container exposing an opening in the upper chute. A candy or gum piece enters the opening and travels down the dispensing chute.
The invention device combines amusement and dispensing. A plunger sits over a transparent or translucent dome covering. A reciprocated rod on the plunger engages a clutch or gear means on a rotatable internal housing converting reciprocal motion into rotary motion. The lower extent of the rotary inner housing forms a first disk that acts as a support for articles and has an aperture in it. Beneath the first disk, a second disk, also having an aperture, is free to rotate on a supporting base. Friction between the rotary internal housing first disk and the second disk, turns the second disk in the same direction as the rotary internal housing but at a slower speed. The size and positioning of the two disks periodically aline the two apertures and allow an article to be passed through the two disks for random dispersal. Dispersing is into one of several chutes, formed within the legs of the base. Each of the legs can be labeled to represent something, such as indicia for a game. Article carousel arms on the rotary internal housing act in part as a stop or deflector for articles propelled upwardly from the rotary inner housing first disk and/or provide a support for amusement indicia that provides an animated display.